One of the commonest forms of
social control. Rumor is a method of
praising or
damning another's actions, and expressing the
community opinion. Commonly
denigrated in just about every society, rumor (or
rumour, as i more frequently spell it), is an avenue for
subaltern expression of social
power. This is, it is a
regulatory technique that can be used by the most
disempowered (generally,
stereotypically, women) in a community.
Rumor is just about invariably a
conservative force, but may occasionally act in opposition to
entrenched and publically
sanctioned
top-down expressions of power (
tribal leadership,
church,
law).